Icy Bonds
by phoenixreal
Summary: Ichigo is a man living with a great deal of pain, mostly due to his abusive girlfriend. After a freak concussion lands him in the hands of a blue haired good samaritan and his sister, will he figure out that he's worth more than that? Overprotective club owner/vizard gang leader Shinji, stripper boys, ByaXRen, Rated M for language, violence, lemon, noncon, yaoi, GrimmXIchi.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: Tatsuki is way OOC, and yes I'm using her as the baddie in this fic. If there's interest I might continue, as I'm planning another GrimmXIchi *sigh* Those two together…. I see a lot of "abuse" fics but I never see this type. It does happen, and it is devastating to those involved just like any other abusive relationship. I'm running two domestic violence pieces, (Punishment being the other). This one is less violent and physical and more emotional and psychological. Would gladly like any input on either one of these and if you feel the characters feel real. In both, Ichigo is a lonely abused individual, but there are differences in the type of fear the character feels. Punishment is strong, bitter and self-loathing. This one is loyalty, perceived love, and codependence. I feel like domestic abuse is a HUGE issue, and this one is often overlooked and mistaken as "weakness" on the man's part, being abused by a woman. But it happens. _

_WARNINGS: PLEASE no underage readers. This is not a heavily sexual piece, but it has TRIGGERS so if you are sensitive to these things, do not read. Raw emotion, depictions of abuse, het relations as well as future yaoi and lemons. There is also a few violent and bloody scenes to go with it, and some noncon in one place._

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Chapter One

Ichigo stood outside the apartment, his heart in his throat. He could do this, right? He could go in there and ask the woman he loved to marry him, right? He looked down at the small box in his hand. Inside it contained a small diamond solitaire. He'd saved for the last six months, a few dollars here and there that neither of them would miss. He just wanted to show her that he loved her so much, and appreciated her for everything she had done. She'd always been there, at least as long as he needed her. From the days at the dojo when he cried as she beat him, to the days later when he matched her evenly, and from the crying child he had been after his mother died, to the current day when they entered college together. Yes, today he was going to do it.

"Arisawa?" he called, opening the door.

Silence met him. He had been hoping she'd been home from class already. He didn't have a lot of time before he had to go to work. He worked overnights at a local grocery stocking. He really didn't get much sleep, mostly between his day classes, but he didn't mind. It let Tatsuki concentrate on her work.

She came out of the bedroom, glaring at him. He flinched. Maybe it wasn't a good time. "What do you want?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to see you before class, Arisawa," he said, hiding the box behind him in a sly fashion. At least he hoped it was sly. Turned out it wasn't sly enough.

She reached around and wrenched his arm around and pulled the box from his hand, staring up at him with a frown. She flicked the box open and stared at it.

"S-sorry, I was going to wait since you seem upset today…B-but…" his statement was ended with a punch from his girlfriend to his gut, doubling him over. She was top of the list of tournament fighters in the area, easily.

Ichigo remembered to breath and tightened the muscles for the second blow. She never hit once, she hit to finish things. Ever since they were kids it had been this way. He ended up flat on his back after another blow and was looking at her with watery eyes.

"You bought a ring? You think I'd ever actually marry you? You're stupider than I thought, you're lucky I let you live with me. It should be enough," She said, pressing a foot into his neck. "You wasted money on this? Take it back and bring me whatever you bought it with. Not much since it's a cheap thing."

She punctuated the thought by kicking him right in the jaw, sending him rolling over, bouncing his head off the coffee table with the movement. He gasped, blood filling his mouth and wondered why he hadn't expected this reaction. He gathered himself up though and nodded to her, leaving without bothering to clean his bleeding lip. He stood for a moment outside the doorway. _Don't ever fight with girls, that's just not nice! Sparring and practicing, that's one thing, but don't ever hit in anger, no matter what!_ His mother's voice rang in his head like it was yesterday.

He walked away, running a hand through his thick, orange hair. He was a fighter himself, leanly muscled and lithe. He was fast on his feet. Yet, here he was, his longtime girlfriend (they started dating in middle school) taking out her frustrations on his body. He told himself that she needed it. That things were rough with school. That she didn't really mean it. That she really did love him like she said when they were in the bedroom. That was the only place he had any control, the normally controlled and demanding woman becoming a submissive kitten under his hands. Which he loved, he really did love that, she was his first and he was her first. And he thought surely that like him, she'd never known another lover's touch. Why would she?

He was jarred out of his thoughts as he thumped into a body in front of him, his ears ringing a little for some reason. He glanced up to see a taller man frowning at him. He had blue hair, of all things, not that he could comment with his own bright orange locks. He muttered something unintelligible, his lip swollen up by now making his voice come out in a mumble. The man reached out and yanked his chin up to look at his face.

"The hell happened to ya, man?" the blue haired guy asked.

Ichigo thought and stammered trying to come up with an excuse, knowing he wasn't going to tell him his girlfriend just kicked him in the jaw, that would sound ridiculous and he didn't want anyone to know what happened. So instead he shook his head free and tried to step away, only to have the guy grab his wrist again.

"Man, you might need a stitch in that, it's still bleeding," he said, and Ichigo looked down to realize his shirt was drenched.

How did he miss that? Then something dripped in his eye, he rolled his eye up and realized his forehead was bleeding. That explained the blood but was he so lost in thought he hadn't realized he had a laceration? Probably when he hit the table. He reached up and pulled away a bloody hand from his head. He frowned. The position he'd been walking in had let the blood flow straight down from his bowed head, and he hadn't even realized it. Suddenly his knees were weak and he stumbled.

"Ah, no," he muttered, pressing a hand to the wound on his scalp. "Gonna be mad if I go to the ER again," he said under his breath, trying to stagger away from the man gripping his wrist. "S'okay, I got some butterfly in my car."

The man frowned and shook his head. "No way, yer in no condition, come on, there's a quick fix urgent care on the next block, they can stitch it up."

Ichigo tried to wave it away but he was being led strongly by the stranger. He had no idea why, but he couldn't fight him off at the moment. He sighed as he was led into the waiting room. The nurse behind the desk looked like she was talking to him. He just blinked at her. Was she speaking?

The blue haired man, Grimmjow Jagerjaguez by name, frowned at the orange haired man next to him. He was staring at the intake nurse and leaning heavily on him.

"Sir, what's your name?" she asked again patiently. He continued to stare and then his eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped, Grimmjow reacting and catching him before he hit the ground.

There was a flurry of motion as Grimmjow picked up the light boy, he couldn't be more than sixteen, the thought, and followed the nurse in the back. He stayed by him as she cleared up the wounds and found a spot. She hummed, and soon a doctor came back. He quickly stitched the wound, four stitches, and gave him a stimulant to wake him up. His eyes opened.

"Ah, Arisawa I wanna sleep in today," he muttered.

"Can you wake up for me?" the doctor said, a man with messy blond hair and a striped bucket hat and green doctor's coat instead of white. Little strange, but oh well, that was Kisuke. Grimmjow knew the guy though and smirked. Dr. Kisuke Urahara. Eccentric as hell, but a good guy, and old family friend.

He groaned eyes unfocused. "Sorry, Arisawa, sorry…don't be mad, okay?"

The strange blond doctor snapped in front of his eyes and he blinked. "Huh?"

"There you are, can you tell me your name, kid?" the doctor asked.

He hummed. "Ichigo Kurosaki," he said looking around. "Where am I?"

"This big guy here found you outside wandering around in a daze, and you have a concussion, which is why. What happened, you look like you've been in a fight?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Fell on the table, that's all."

The doctor exchanged looks with the stranger. "And the lip and the bruised ribs?"

Ichigo visibly paled, and shrugged. "Dunno, when I fell, I guess."

"Okay, well Ichigo, I'm going to get your paperwork, my name is Dr. Urahara if you need anything. Oh, do you have someone we should call, a significant other or parent?"

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "Nah, don't bother her, and my dad's a doctor so I'm sure he'll figure out I've been in here soon enough. I can walk home when I leave, no big deal."

Dr. Urahara frowned. "I don't recommend it, you need to be watched for the next twenty four hours…"

Ichigo smiled nervously. "Ah, she's on business, so not home anyway," he stammered, eyes darting around the room. Grimmjow frowned catching the obvious lie. Why didn't he want to go home.

Grimmjow cleared his throat. "I can keep an eye on him, Doc, I mean, what kinda asshole would I be not to after I brought 'im in, yeah?" He turned to him. "Ya wanna stay with me so I can keep an eye on ya? My sister is there too, but she loves company."

Ichigo tried to protest but the doctor looked at him. "Either that or I'll call your father to come pick you up, unless of course you're underage, then I have to call him…" he said, arching a brow.

"No, I'm eighteen!" he blustered. "Okay I'll go with him, I guess. Wait, why are you suggesting I go home with a stranger?" he blurted, staring at the doctor.

He snorted. "Well you have the good fortune to have been dragged in here by my godson, if you must know," he said with a smile, grinning at Grimmjow who just rolled his eyes. "If you go with him, I can check in with you without sending you to the hospital overnight, which I will do if you refuse to go with him or someone you know."

Ichigo sighed, defeated. "Concussion, this sucks, she's gonna be mad now," he muttered, thinking about how upset she'd be when he didn't come home. "I better call her, where's my phone?"

Grimmjow handed the kid his phone as he chose a number, swallowing.

"Hey, Arisawa, um, I'm staying with a friend tonight, okay? No, no, not like that…I know, but…I can't…If you'll just…but….No. No. Okay." There was a long pause and Grimmjow could hear a husky female voice over the speaker. "But, no, I won't…but…but…" Grimmjow frowned at the kid, arguing with whoever was on the phone. His eyes were distant. "It's not like that! I'm sorry…I just…when I fell, I hit my head and…yeah…but it gave me…. no, come on, listen a minute, I'm… Yes it gave me a concussion, okay?" There was a loud burst of sound from the phone. "No, no, I got it stitched. I'm not with my dad, okay? Can you stop…it won't…please…I…well, I can't leave…th-the doctor said so!" He looked flushed at the discussion. "It's either that or he's calling pop. Yes I know, okay, I know already!" He sighed and clicked off the phone, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"I thought your girl was out of town," Grimmjow said with a quirked eyebrow.

Ichigo sighed. "Just don't wanna go home right now," he said, rubbing his stomach at the soreness there.

"Fair enough, kid," he said, wondering just what the hell was going on with him. Soon enough, Urahara returned frowning at the boy.

"Ichigo, you've had a lot of broken bones in the last couple years," he said, frowning at the newly acquired file. He saw the initial flinch and then he shrugged.

He smiled. "You know, sometimes I'm clumsy, and I get in fights and stuff because of my hair, some people don't like it."

The doctor looked at him warily. "You must fight a lot, Ichigo. From this you've had your collar bone broken twice, and three ribs at your last admittance."

He shrugged, remembering that visit. That had hurt a bit. He really should have listened to the little voice in his head that told him to steer clear of Tatsuki after she lost the match at nationals, to a completely illegal move that the judges had missed. And then he tried to comfort her. That had been a huge mistake. He sighed, wincing at the memory. How could he ever bring himself to admit he'd let his own girlfriend do that to him? But he loved her, and he could take it, he was a man after all. He was supposed to be tough for the woman he loved. And if he wasn't, she'd take it out on someone and get in trouble, and he couldn't let that happen. He owed her too much. Even if she didn't want him going out on his own with his friends. He missed them a little, but Tatsuki was so busy that she wasn't home a lot, and she had forbidden Ishida and Chad from coming to their apartment.

"Anyway, I'll let my dear godson take you, and you can meet my goddaughter. I hope you get along well, Ichigo."

With that, Ichigo was left with the charge nurse who was filling out his discharge paperwork. He was given a gown to replace his soiled shirt and sighed. That would never come out, he frowned at the previously light blue t-shirt. He shoved it into the plastic bag and stood up. The nurse came back and handed him a prescription for some antibiotics. He took it and walked sullenly behind the guy he didn't even know. What the hell? He thought. This was really weird.

* * *

_A/N: And if you're wondering why the doctor would send him home with someone else, it has to do with what Nel does for a living which will come up in the next chapter._

_This may be expanded, this first chapter is experimental. I know, I should finish Animals and Ashes first. :P_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

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When her godfather called her, she knew something was going on. He rarely called while he was on duty at the small urgent center he worked at, so it was indeed very strange to hear from him so early in the day.

"Nel, my dear, are you well?" he asked, and she could tell he was trying to sound like he was his normal, happy self.

"Well, Kissy," she said, using her nickname for her godfather. He would only tolerate it from her, of course. "What's wrong?"

"You aren't easily fooled, are you?" he asked, his voice dropping in volumn.

She snorted. "Your brother brought in an interesting patient, one I thought you would be very interested in."

Her interest was piqued now. "What is it? Is it one of my kids?"

"He was, until he turned eighteen," he answered. "The Kurosaki boy."

Nel gasped. She had tried so hard to uncover that kid's abuser. It had been clear as day to her and the school staff that had called her in on the case. Nel was a social worker for the state, and child abuse cases were her area. The boy had been fourteen when she'd been called by a dear friend at his high school, a woman named Yourichi Shihoin. They'd met in grad school, Nel getting her social work degree, and Yourichi her school counseling degree. She'd told her that he often came to school bruised and a couple times with a split lip. He showed no other signs, though. He was vibrant and charismatic. But she was worried because he had started to recede from his friends in recent months and spend all his free time with his girlfriend, a girl named Arisawa Tatsuki.

She remembered watching them, and seeing nothing strange in the boy's behavior. He met with his sisters who were very pleasant and gleefully talked about their dad, and when asked if they ever fought, they said, all the time! Worried, she asked why they fought, and the twin girls informed her that their dad play fought with him, and dad usually got the short end of their fights, whining and crying on the floor after being thrown by his son. She found that his dad was a doctor, and one that her god father knew very well. After a long discussion with the father, she could find no reason to suspect him, as he was just as worried as the teachers.

For the next four years, she watched as he was repeatedly caught with various injuries. One or two had sent him to the hospital claiming clumsiness and getting into fights with other students, but no one remembered him fighting at all. The whole thing was strange, and as she checked in, his friends had all become very distant. When he turned seventeen he moved out from his dad's house, with his permission, and got an apartment with his girlfriend. After that, he was never out without her, it seemed. At eighteen, of course, the case was off her desk, and she wondered if she could have done something more for the kid.

"What happened?" she asked, concerned.

"Well, Grimmjow came in, saying he found him outside bleeding, and he passes out in the waiting room. I recognized him from your description, the bright orange hair, and then took his information. He had a concussion he claimed from falling into the coffee table. But when I asked about his bruised ribs and split lip he shrugged saying he must have got it while falling down. Of course, we both know that's impossible to hit all three points on the body at the same time. He refused to call his dad or his girlfriend, saying he wanted to go home. I convinced him if he did that I'd make him stay overnight, so I offered that he could stay overnight with you and Grimm to watch for his concussion."

She smiled, rolling her yes. "A little unorthodoxed, eh Kissy?" she said.

"Yeah, well, I can't let him go after the conversation I heard on the phone. I think I'm pretty sure it is a domestic violence issue, Nelly."

She paused hearing that. "His _girlfriend_?" she said, despite her field. It was weird to have something like this come up. But it happened.

"Nel, he was afraid to call her. Said that she'd be mad if he was in the ER again. Something is wrong, and I think you could try and uncover it."

She nodded, sighing. "Yeah, Kissy, I guess if I couldn't help him before, I can do what I can now, but I can't promise anything. I don't have power to stop him if he goes back, even if it is domestic violence."

"Just try your best, they should be almost home by now," he said. "Bye, Nelly dear!"

She smiled, hearing the key in the lock. "Yeah, bye Kissy."

She looked up to see her younger brother, leading a bedraggled looking orange headed man behind him. He was wearing a hospital gown with a pair of dark jeans, and looking around thoughtfully. Nel recognized him, after all, it hadn't been that long ago that his picture was in her files. She had never actually met him herself, though, so that would make this less awkward.

"Grimmjow, who are you dragging home today?" she exclaimed, catching her brother in a tight hug, whispering, "Kissy called," before she pushed back.

Ichigo stared at the woman, tall and busty with sea foam green hair. What was this, the weird hair club? He thought oddly. Of course, he had his doubts that either of them had hair naturally that color, that was too weird. Before he could react he was in a tight hug that seemed to press directly on his bruised ribs. Despite himself, he let out a groan of discomfort. She couldn't act like she knew. So she pushed him back with a frown.

"Whatever is wrong, sweetie?" she said, and yanked the gown open in a swift move, letting it lay open.

Ichigo gasped, not sure how to react to this aggressive woman, cringing slightly away as she examined his torso. There were two bright purple bruises decorating his ribcage, and several other older bruises here and there. She arched a brow, and looked up at the sheepish look on his face.

"Ah, I got…in a fight?" he said, his tone almost questioning whether this woman would believe his story.

"Nel, this is Ichigo, our godpop wants us to keep an eye on him for his concussion tonight. Needs to be woke up every two hours all night," Grimmjow said, eyeing his sister suspiciously. She gave him a knowing wink and he got the clue. His elder sister's job.

Nel fixed him with a look. "Itsygo, what happened, poor thing?" she asked softly.

She was still holding him by the front of the gown, his chest exposed. "Ah, fell into a coffee table…"

"Hum, did the coffee table also spin and smack you in the lip and the back of your head at the same time, hon?" she asked thoughtfully.

Without thinking he muttered, "Um sure…"

She let him go, and headed to the kitchen. "I'll make some dinner, Grimm. Get our guest set up on the pull out sofa, okay?"

Nel stopped in the kitchen to breathe. She'd known, but how could she have speculated the kid had been abused by another kid his age? Seriously, this didn't happen often, and even less often did it get reported for just this reason. No way he was going to tell her he let his girlfriend beat on him. That just wasn't a thing guys did. It was hard enough to get women to report domestic violence. Child abuse she could take action with or without permission if she had proof, but this… She sighed. This was going to get sticky if she was going to help him. She pulled out her phone and ran through the numbers until she found the one she was looking for.

"Hey, Stark, you and Lily busy tonight?"

Ichigo tried very hard to talk his way out of the situation. He was really worried about Tatsuki. She'd been so angry on the phone. But he didn't want his dad involved, that would serve to upset her much, much more. So he relented, the bedding put out beside the sofa for the evening. He thanked him and then the girl, Nel came out of the kitchen.

"Grimmy, Stark and Lilly are coming by, would you go get some pizza and beer?" she asked cheerfully. She glanced at Ichigo. "Um, and some soda."

He frowned and crossed his arms. "You don't have to get me anything, I'm fine."

Nel's face only betrayed the annoyance briefly. "Sweetie, you come here, you eat and drink with us, and that's final!"

Ichigo felt that brief tightening in his stomach and nodded quickly. "Yeah, okay."

She turned and looked at Grimmjow with a frown. He knew that look. The kid just completely relented without a second thought when Nel had gotten forceful with him. Like it was something he did all the time. Instinct to protect himself from someone else's outlash. Damned if she wasn't right about this stuff. He leaned over and kissed his elder sister on the head.

"Sure, sweet, you wanna see if you can find him a shirt that might fit, or sort of fit?" he said shrugging.

She turned to him, and sighed. "Honey, Grimmjow's clothes are gonna fall right off. I'll get you one of my shirts."

He started to protest, but she was gone. Great, now he'd be stuck in a chick shirt. Surprisingly it didn't really bother him that much, though. She came back with a t-shirt that was definitely made for a woman, but looked about the right size for him. He shrugged out of the tacky gown and slipped it on. It was tight around his midsection and hugged tight to every one of his defined muscles. He arched a brow, surprised that it fit him well. It was otherwise plain black with a picture of a ram's head on the chest. He'd thought it would be baggy in the chest considering how big her boobs were.

"Heh, yeah, it doesn't fit me too well, not enough stretch for the boobs in it," she said with a chuckle. "Looks hot on you, sweetie."

He blushed madly at the compliment and looked up. "Don't worry sweetie, I don't swing that direction," she said with a wink. He caught his breath than caught on. Oh… "Man, hon, you have seriously got a body of a male stripper," she said, humming as she looked him over. Again he blushed.

"Seriously hon, you would make a mint in my friend's club…"

He frowned, confused at the comment. "Oh my friend owns a gay strip club down south of here. Hopping place, it is. Always looking for…ah, unusual talent, he is."

"But I'm not…I mean, I have a girlfriend…and…" he stammered.

She arched a brow. "Hrm, couldn't have guessed the way you were eyeballing Grimmjow's ass when he left," she muttered with a grin.

He gasped and tried to stammer out of it but clamped his mouth shut again as the doorbell rang. Okay, so the guy had a nice ass. A really nice ass. Much better than Tatsuki's ass. What was he thinking? He wasn't that way…he had a nice girlfriend. Well, most the time she was nice. Domineering, and she was good in bed. Well, actually she wasn't that good, she just laid there after all. And he never left satisfied. He looked up, his face bright red as a brunette man and a girl with light greenish blonde hair entered and stared at him.

"Nel, what did you do to the poor boy before we got here?" the short girl yelled.

Nel came in. "I think I gave him a sexuality complex."

Stark snorted. "Leave it to you Nel, finding all the closet cases."

His face burned so much he wondered if you could bleed from a blush.

"Hey, don't worry, my name is Lillynette Gingerbuck, and this lazy ass bastard is my big brother Coyote Stark. What's your name, hon?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I-Ichigo Kurosaki," he said softly.

"How you know loudmouth here?" Stark asked, sinking into the couch with a yawn.

Nel came out and handed a beer to each of them, and tossed a can of coke to Ichigo. "Grimmy brought him home from Urahara's fix up. Got himself a conk to the head so we are gonna make sure he doesn't die overnight."

"Sucks man, how'd that happen?" Stark asked, popping the top on the beer and taking a sip.

Ichigo had suddenly found the can in his hands extremely interesting. "Um, you know, fell and hit my table," he stammered.

"Dude, that sucks, which one?" Lillynette said, sipping her own beer.

For a second he couldn't think. Which one had he said before? "Um, living room, you know, coffee table," he said after a moment realizing he'd told the truth about what table he'd hit.

Lillynette shook her head and gave him a playful punch to the ribs which made him wince and curl around the bruised space protectively. "Your coffee table punch ya in the gut too?"

He bit his lip. This was getting hard. What had he told them? Shit, he was forgetting it as fast as he was telling it. "Th-the couch, I fell into it and into the table, you know, just clumsy all the time…happens all the time…"

He sat down tentatively on the couch, nervously sipping the drink. He hadn't felt this cornered since his dad had interrogated him last time he'd been over, and he didn't even know these people.

"Yeah, what else you do?" he said, sipping. "I drink a lot and I've broken a great many bones being shit faced. Couple months ago took a tumble out the front door of the bar broke my damn ankle," he said, picking up his foot and rolling his ankle a bit.

He visibly relaxed. Okay he could do this. Comparing breaks, that was easy. "Yeah, I was going upstairs one day and tripped up the stairs with a box, terrible, right? And I can't even drink yet. Broke one of my hands that time."

Stark snorted. "That's the worst ya got, boy? Let's see, I had a compound fracture of the thigh bone once. Fucking hurt like a _bitch_ that one did. Rolled my motorcycle in the middle of winter."

He thought. What had been the worst. "Oh I had this one time when I actually got my elbow broke, that took forever to heal up! I think…what happened with that one?" he thought. Shit. He remembered what really happened. Tatsuki had ran his elbow through the wall into a stud when she'd thrown him one night when she came home a little high from a friend's house. He really had to stop mentioning it every time she came home high or drunk. "Um, car accident…"

He missed the look between Stark and Nel that knew that what he said was complete bullshit. Just then, the door opened, and the smell of fresh pizza wafted over the room, setting everyone's mouths to watering. Everyone dug in, Ichigo taking two small slices and curling up in the chair away from everyone else. He felt a presence over him and looked up to see a frowning Grimmjow.

"Ya tellin' me yer skinny ass is going eat two pieces and that's all?" he said.

He started to stammer and then just blurted, "It's all I get to eat at home." Shit, did he just admit that to another guy? That sounded bad. "I…I mean that's all I choose to eat at home," he muttered shoving a piece into his mouth to stop the conversation. He frowned but sat on the couch end closest to him.

Grimmjow looked up at Nell. "Damn, you put him in your clothes anytime, looks a fuckin' lot better than in that crappy t-shirt he had on when I ran into him. Looks stage worthy for Shinji's place, huh?"

"I told him that, he's hot in that shirt!" she said with a smile. "Told him he should totally dance there."

Ichigo had gone red. He couldn't imagine doing something so…so…dirty. But he couldn't hide the thrill it would give him. "I work nights already," he muttered under his breath, sipping his coke nervously.

"Well, isn't that perfect," the small Lilynette said brightly. "So quit. Come down and meet Shinji tonight, and we'll toss ya up on stage."

He gasped looking around. "I…I'm off tonight…I guess I could go see the place," he said blushing madly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

A Night Out

* * *

What was he doing here? Holy crap, what in the world was he doing at a place like this? Nel shoved him into the large room. Tables and chairs littered the place, and it was about half full. There was a large stage complete with a pole and his breath hitched as he caught sight of a blonde man dressed like a fireman, slowly peeling away layers until he was in a red sparkly thong, full of wads of bills. When the song ended, Disco Inferno of all songs, he pranced off the stage and into the back. Ichigo had never been to a place like this.

"You can't drink, but you can watch!" Nel said in his ear, leading him to the bar to get a coke for him. Grimmjow, Stark and the short Lillynette followed behind him.

Soon enough, the blond from the stage came bounding out of the back wearing black low rise jeans and a black t-shirt. He grinned impossibly wide and positively glomped Nel.

"Oh, girl, long time no see! You here with someone?" he said, glowing at the girl.

"Shinji, dear, We brought my latest closet case!" she announced, causing Ichigo to blush deeply. He wasn't sure if he liked being called a closet case.

The blond smiled and then looked over her shoulder to see Ichigo fiddling with his shirt. "Oh good lord, girl…" he muttered.

Nel led him over and smiled. "Ichigo, this is Shinji, he owns this place," she said fondly.

Ichigo let out a strangled, "Hi" and felt the guy positively ravaging him with his eyes. He reached out, spinning Ichigo around and then again to face him.

"Damn, you are _hot_, sweetie. You are so going on stage tonight when the amateur hour starts," he said appreciatively.

"Um, no, I can't do that…I mean, what if someone _sees _me?" he stammered, both flattered and embarrassed by the attention the guy was giving him.

Grimmjow this time patted him on the back. "We're supposed to keep you awake, remember? And wake you up every couple hours even after that? Might as well enjoy ourselves if we're going to be at this all night, berry boy."

Ichigo turned to him with a scowl. "Don't call me that."

Grimmjow smirked. "Whatever, _berry boy._"

"Hrm, you don't need to change, well, what have you got under that," Shinji said, grabbing him by the waist of his jeans and looking down, ignoring the yelp. "Boxers…well that's not very sexy. Oh well, it is amateur night, so you don't need to strip the pants, just this lovely shirt, look at the way it just hugs you…"

He flinched when Shinji's hands passed over his ribs. Shinji quickly yanked up his shirt and frowned. "Good lord, boy, someone take a bat to you?"

Grimmjow and Nel exchanged looks. Nel and Stark had went over to chat with some other people.

"A-accident, is all…" he muttered.

Shinji frowned. "Accident my foot, I'm a paramedic by trade, sweetie, and I know ribs bruised by fists, and by the look, not very big hands."

Ichigo started, eyes widening, and Nel bit her cheek. The confirmation she was looking for. Shinji was in his late twenties, and had inherited the strip club form his mom when she passed a few years ago. Before that he had been a paramedic and they often worked together on cases involving the injuries of her kids. When he took over the club, he turned it into a gay bar as it had been one of the dirtiest strip clubs in the area, with a prostitute ring running right under the cops' noses. He quickly took care of that and made sure that he always provided appropriate security for his boys. No drugs, no hooking in his place or they were out on their ass before they could get their sparkles back on.

Shinji looked over to her with an arched brow which she gave a curt nod in response. "Sweetie, come with me, I think we should talk about this," he said, pulling an arm around his back.

He picked at the waist of his shirt, glancing over at Nel and Grimmjow who both nodded at him encouragingly as he was drug away. Shinji had a way of coaxing things out of his boys when he needed to. He was very much the stereotypical fem, longish blond hair, never left the house without makeup, often dressed in drag. But when it came to one of his boys, he was fierce, and had more than once put a customer in the hospital for touching or doing something inappropriate. He was slender but had a third degree tae kwon do belt, and did not hesitate to pull out those skills on anyone who had the gall to mess with his boys. And as Nel watched him drape that protective hand around Ichigo, she knew he already considered him one of his boys, even if Ichigo didn't know it yet.

He was pushed into a large office with a large black leather sofa and a large black chair. There was a desk with a huge office chair behind it to the other side. Files and papers were everywhere and hanging out of a file cabinet. It looked like place needed some serious organization. Shinji sat him down on the big sofa and then placed himself curled up in the large chair and watched him.

"I see you got your lip busted too, sweetie. Busted lip, concussion, and two solid punches to the ribs by smaller hands. How long has she been hittin' ya like this?" he said, staring at him unblinking.

Ichigo shot his head up and wanted to deny what he was say, and he tried really hard, his throat working as he wanted to find the words, but instead, something about the guy made the most insane thing come tumbling out of his mouth, the truth.

"Since we started dating in middle school," he muttered dejectedly. He caught his breath, surprised, covering his mouth. "Oh shit, I…I've never said this before…"

Shinji shook his head. "What's the reason, does she have one?"

He swallowed again. "It's just, you know, she's into martial arts, and…and at first it was just she got a little rough sparring with me. We used to go to a dojo together. But I had to quit after I had a bad fall and twisted my knee when I was about thirteen. But I didn't wanna quit so we would spar by ourselves. And at first, it was okay, just like in the dojo, but she started leaving bruises and when I complained she told me to quit being a pussy for whining about being hit by a girl."

Shinji got up and went behind the desk, returning with a cold can of coke for him. He took it, popping the top and drinking quickly as though he would never drink again. "And then it just got a little worse, like when we started dating, she'd punch my arm or my side in front of our friends, and if I flinched away she'd laugh, telling me I needed to be a man and take it."

"When'd she start breaking bones?" Shinji asked, his face expressionless.

"Huh, how'd you know that?" he said, looking up.

Shinji stood up and traced a finger along his collar bone, pausing at the slightly raised ridge where it had been broken and healed. "Easy, sweetie. I know what I'm lookin' for on my boys."

Ichigo was stunned. That tiny little spot? "Um, high school I guess, was the first. She was messing around and I don't even remember what happened, but somehow my legs were out and I tumbled down a small set of stairs. But they were concrete and I landed weird and my dad told me I'd fractured the shin bone. She told me I was a clutz, and should watch where I was going when I came to school with a cast."

"And this?" he said, his hand still on the bone.

"Ah, that one. She lost at a tournament to an illegal move the judges didn't see, and I was wanting to, well, comfort her, and she lashed out. I should have known she'd be upset. But she threw me into the wall and I hit the stud with this side. She didn't want me to go to the ER about it, but in the middle of the night I started throwing up and couldn't stand so she decided we better go," he said softly.

Shinji sighed deeply and sat down beside him. "You need to get away from her, she's no good for you, Ichigo."

"But, but I love her more than anything, and I know she loves me, so shouldn't we be together even if she does have a little bit of a temper?" he asked, eyes wide.

"Ichigo, are you in love with her, or just with the idea of being in love?" he asked, his eyes utterly serious.

Ichigo couldn't think, his mouth working. He still had a headache, and he really wanted to sleep. And all this thinking was hurting his head even worse.

"I…I think…you're right," he said finally, eyes falling. "I've never felt right with her, but I feel like if I don't have her I'm just going to crumble. If I don't have _someone_, you know. She's always been there. She was my first, she was my first kiss, first everything. If I don't have her, what…what do I have?"

Shinji pulled him to his chest in a tight hug. "You have me, now Ichigo, and I want you to start working here instead of whatever insipid job she has you working at."

"What, why do you say that?" he said into the mass of blond hair tickling his nose.

"Honey, I know this stuff. You can't have your friends around, you can't go out without her, you can't go anywhere but work, and she found you the job, huh?" he said, pushing him back.

Ichigo gaped at him. "I…is it always the way? I thought…I thought I was just a pushover, and that I…I deserved to be stuck like it because I couldn't stand being alone…"

Shinji nodded. "Sweetie, I've seen it many times, both boys and girls caught in this mess."

Then it hit him that Shinji said work here. "What, I'm not a stripper!"

Shinji smiled. "Well, we'll see about that, how about for now I hire you as a secretary so you can organize this mess of an office I have here. And then maybe some bartending, and if you make it on stage, you'll see how much fun you can have."

"But I'm not twenty-one yet," he said quietly. "Not for another few months."

"Then you just can't work the bar," he said with a smile. Nothing says you can't work back here or even on the stage."

Ichigo nodded, and there was blare and a loudspeaker came on announcing that the amateur hour was about to begin. Shinji lit up and grabbed his hand. "I do insist you participate in this, otherwise I just cannot hire you!"

With that, he was pushed out the office and around a curtained area in the back, Shinji humming as he flipped through a rack of clothes.

"Now, since you are all battered up, leave that shirt on, but add this," he said, putting a very short jacket on him. He stood back to admire his work. Then turned back and put a thick, chunky belt around his waist. "There."

He led him by the hand to the curtain where he opened it enough to see Nel gyrating on the stage to cat calls.

"Ah, what's she doing?" he asked. "I thought it was a gay club!"

Shinji grinned. "She's gay, ain't she? I have girls come in some nights, you know, for the other girls."

"But…but…I'm not gay…so how do I…" he muttered fiddling with his hands.

Shinji smirked. "Sure you're not gay. Tell me why you got more eyes for Grimmy's ass than Nel's tits that are hanging out right now."

Ichigo's eyes bulged as he realized he had indeed had his gaze fixed on the man's jean clad ass instead of the shaking and gyrating massively endowed woman on the pole. He swallowed, not really sure what to think about that. Nel's song ended, and she came strutting back, wearing only her green thong and a smile, patting Ichigo on the shoulder.

"Knock 'em dead, Ichibaby."

Ichigo felt the nerves in his whole body tense as the music started and Shinji shoved him out the doorway onto the long stage. It was so bright, and he thankfully couldn't see anyone's faces for the stage lights. He might have died of embarrassment if he did. He heard Shinji whispering to shake his ass, and hurry up. He listened for a minute, Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me, a stripper classic if there ever was one, he thought to himself. So he let the beat take him, ruling his hips and his body. He really didn't know much about dancing, but he could follow a beat. He had made it to the main part of the stage, still away from the intimidating pole, but he could dance if he imagined he was alone.

He found the beat irresistible and before long, going with the movements, he shrugged out of the short jacket, receiving shouts at it. His hands moved up and down the planes of his torso, and when he hooked his fingers into the band of his pants, he heard more catcalls and felt several bills hit him as he gyrated his hips to the music. It was like it was pumping into his blood, and before he knew it, the belt had dropped, and he had found his way to the floor, moving and swaying in a blissful place inside his head. He'd never felt this free before. And all eyes were on him, and that was so unusual.

Then, just like that he felt the music end, and he looked up at the crowd. He'd ended with his head tossed back, thumbs hooked in his waist band, just looking like he was about to pull them away, the button and fly having been undone sometime in his dancing. He smiled, went red, and ran back to the curtain.

"Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god," he chanted, breath heaving as he stood on the other side of the curtain. Shinji was waiting as he came out.

Shinji smiled. "Felt pretty damn good, huh? Letting go like that? Damn, sweetie, you are a fuckin' _natural_. And with that hair, you would be the talk of the club in a week. You certainly left more than a couple blue balls out there when you didn't finish stripping down. Great tease though. Really, great!"

"I…can't believe I just did that!" he breathed and smiled wider. "I…oh god, I just danced like that, in front of a room full of guys…oh my god!"

Shinji patted him on the back. "Come back to the office, let's fill out the paperwork, and you can start by being my secretary tomorrow night."

Ichigo was smiling broadly as he was taken back. But he didn't hear the conversation at one of the back tables.

"What the fuck, there can't be two orange haired brats, can there?" the one with the eye patch asked the other, a man with bright green eyes.

"No, I've seen Tatsuki's boyfriend before, and that was definitely him," he responded.

"Should we tell her? I mean, her boyfriend dancing at a strip joint?"

The green eyed one nodded. "Of course, she won't let us keep fucking her for payment on her purchases if we don't."

There was a snort of laughter. "Well, maybe I'll convince her to have a go with his tight little ass, then, as a reward for informing her of his nightly shenanigans."

"That could work too…" the green eyed one said, a wicked grin marking his pale impassive features.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: I've altered Ichigo's age, for those who started with the first chapter. He's twenty in this fic. He's cursed though with everyone thinking he's younger, though. I've gotten a little more serious with this one, so there may be some changes in the first three chapters coming as the story evolves._

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**Chapter Four**

Shattered Illusions

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To Ichigo's great surprise, the next morning when he went home, he wasn't greeted with an angry Tatsuki. Grimmjow and Nel had asked him to stay another night, but he kindly refused. He was still high on the feeling of doing something both completely out of character for him and freeing. It didn't matter if he ended up with a black eye for it. It had been wonderful, and he would go back and organized that disaster of an office Shinji had. And he was simply giddy with the fact he was hiding something from Tatsuki. He bounced into the apartment and showered to get the smell of smoke and booze off his skin. He had no idea how it managed to stick to him so well from the club. He grinned like an idiot into the water thinking of it. Las Noches. What a perfect name for the place…

He snuggled into the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He was used to working nights, he'd been doing it for a while now, but he was exhausted. He slept through until the alarm on his phone woke him again. He sat up and yawned deeply and looked around. Usually Tatsuki would wake him after class when she came in. He guessed he'd been really sleeping if the door hadn't woke him. He shrugged it off and got ready for his first night at his new job. He wasn't going near that stage again, at least not now, he thought excitedly. It was like he had the biggest secret in the world.

He practically ran to the elevator and took it down to the outside. He hailed a cab and was off. He didn't notice that he was being watched, and it really wasn't unusual for him to go a whole day without seeing Tatsuki. She was busy after all.

The week flew by for him. He enjoyed Shinji's company a lot, and saw Nel and Grimmjow when they came by every night. He had to admit to taking a liking to the blue haired prat. And Nel was a great gal, even if she teased him until he was red in the case about being a closet case. He denied it with every fiber of his being. He even went so far as the kiss her passionately one night just to show her that he was definitely of a preference for women. She had stepped back and shook her head when he pulled back.

"Definite closet case," was her grinning response as she flipped her green hair and left the office.

The whole thing left him confused. He'd always been with Tatsuki. He'd always kissed her just like that and she seemed to like it. What was wrong with the way he kissed. He mulled about it for an hour until Shinji came back to find him wrestling with the idea.

"Sweetie, what's up? You look like your solving the riddle of life?" he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at the older man. "I…Nel keeps telling me I'm her 'closet case' but I keep telling her it isn't true, I love Tat…women. So I kissed her to show her, and she just shook her head and left, saying I was a 'closet case'. What did I do wrong? I kissed her like I always kiss Tatsuki before we, you know."

Shinji smiled gently. "She didn't feel passion from it, is my guess. True unbridled passion that you feel when a kiss is right."

"But…does that mean I'm not into girls?" he asked, frowning.

Shinji sat him down and sighed. "Why do you like girls?"

Ichigo was surprised by the question. "Well, because I'm a guy, and well, guys like girls and…"

"No, why do _you_ like girls? Not what the world tells you. Just because the world tells you you're supposed to like girls doesn't mean that it's true. Now why do you like girls?" Shinji said, watching every emotion flicker across his face.

Ichigo thought. He was supposed to like girls. From the time he could remember, he was supposed to treat girls with respect and love them and protect them. He was a guy and that's what guys were supposed to do. But he couldn't help a tiny piece of him that screamed that he wanted to be the one protected. It screamed he was tired of playing the part of the protector.

"Um…I…I'm so confused right now," he said softly. "I mean, I really thought Tatsuki was the world, so much I felt like if I didn't make her happy and she left, I'd just die. She was what held me together, kept me living. She was my only reason…"

"Why?" Shinji asked, placing a hand on his knee. "Why does she mean that much?"

"B-because…she told me…she was the only one who'd have me like this. I'm weak and can't.." he started, his mind spiraling. Years of being told what he was every day was fighting with these new thoughts in his mind. Years now of being told what he was supposed to be and what he was supposed to do.

"Ichigo, why does she say you're weak?" he asked softly. "What happened to make you feel like this?" Shinji was now sitting with Ichigo pulled against him, knowing that there was a coming storm in the young man's heart. He'd seen it many times. And no matter how many it was heart wrenching to watch someone come to terms with their abuse, no matter what kind it was.

He bit his lip. "I guess…when my mom died…and I cried all the time. She…she was the only one that didn't pity me. Everyone felt sorry for me, the little boy that watched his mom die, you know? She died protecting me, and…and I decided I had to protect others because it felt so horrible, knowing that." Tears were welling in his yes by now. "I…just got so tired of feeling helpless. So we fought and sparred and I wanted to be stronger so I could protect…I don't know who. I mean she didn't need protecting, but…she made me feel safe. And…I never felt safe after mom died."

Shinji pulled him close. "Sweetie, you are safe here. And when you decide to leave that farce of a home, you have a place to come," he said, patting his head softly.

The next night found him standing in the dressing room with a heart beating like a drum in his chest. This was it. He was actually going on stage for real this time. Shinji was buzzing around him, telling him he didn't have to wear the skimpiest thing he had, so he put a pair of longish boy short type underwear on him. Then proceeded to dress him up in a doctor's outfit. There were plenty of pieces to strip and throw, from the scrubs that were tear away, to the long white coat, and the stethoscope. He was shocked at how into this he was. He looked up at him with a grin.

"I…I'm so nervous!" he exclaimed.

"Just go with the music, do what you feel. Don't worry about the pole, you'll get that later when I start actually teaching you how to use it, but first, just _feel_ it and go with it," Shinji said pushing him out as the music started thrumming through his whole body. Calling Dr. Love by Kiss belted out and he found his hips moving on their own. It was surreal, almost like someone else was dancing as his hands moved up and down the coat before it slipped down his shoulders to puddle at the floor. The music took him over completely, beating a steady rhythm with his hips and his hands. He wasn't the best, but he was doing what he felt like. The bass thrummed through him and every refrain of Dr. Love sent his hips jerking from one side to the other as his hands sensually moved across his abs. He was out of the scrub top now, dropping low to hands and knees, head hanging and rolling with the beat.

During the musical bridge he had made his way to the edge of the stage on his hands and knees then shimmied up to strip off the tear away pants when the song returned. There were excited cheers and more than a few thumps of money hit him. He was left in the boy shorts and the stethoscope. He saw a man eyeing him hard and he dropped to his knees and wrapped the stethoscope around him and gyrated in front of him, then stood as the song faded, leaving the prop and strutting off the stage to applause.

Again, he stepped behind the curtain with his heart beating hard. He looked at Shinji. "Oh my god…oh my god…"

Shinji smiled. "You gonna freak every time you come off stage?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

In the back of the club, well out of view of anyone on the stage or near it, the woman with short black hair fumed between her companions. The green eyed one was smirking with glee as she ran over what she'd seen in her mind. The night before, they'd announced that a new talent would be with them the next night. And Nnoitra and Ulquiorra had a feeling it would be Tatsuki's boyfriend. Tatsuki's boyfriend who should have been stocking grocery shelves, not gyrating on stage like that.

She looked at the grinning Nnoitra. "He wants to act like a fag, you two show him what it feels like to be one when he gets home later."

There was a sneer shared between the two lovers. This was going to be fun.

Ichigo had no idea how doing something so _naughty_ like stripping for men he didn't know could feel so damn good. It was like everything was on display and he didn't have to hide from anyone. He hummed the song he'd danced to under his breath as he opened the door to his apartment, thinking about what Shinji said, about leaving her and staying with him. It was tempting, he liked feeling safe, and not having to worry about anything.

He stepped in, shutting the door quietly and locking it. It was about five in the morning, his usual time to get home. He was distracted until he felt a hand cover his mouth and jerk him backward. His eyes went wide as he was spun around and found himself facing Tatsuki, sitting on the large living room chair, completely naked, leg casually over the arm of the chair.

"Well, if it isn't my slut stripper of a boyfriend," she sneered and Ichigo froze. How did she find out?

A shorter, pale man with green eyes and black hair leaned into the light and kissed Tatsuki's neck, reaching down and petting her breast and she let him. Ichigo was shocked, but he saw the red rimmed eyes and knew she'd been doing coke again. He whimpered as he felt something stab into his back and to his horror he realized it was the stiff cock of another man.

"So, now you think you're a fag? I thought my friends here could help you out, after all, you're just begging to have your ass fucked, up there strutting on stage like a slut," she said, reaching up and grabbing the green eyed man into a deep kiss.

"Fuck him until he screams, Nnoi. Then make him scream some more," she said, pulling the green eyed man into her lap.

"Of course, dear, anything you desire," the man above him said and he tried to throw him, but the angle was wrong.

In a moment he was pinned on the ground and felt something being wrapped around his wrists and looked up to see his hand being secured to the bar. They'd planned this, he thought franticly. They'd planned this…

"No, stop…Tatsuki! Arisawa, no!" he screamed and was rewarded with a harsh punch to the face from the long lanky man above him. From his girlfriend all he heard was moans of pleasure. They were fucking right in the chair, and he was about to…no…this wasn't happening.

He heard the text alert on his phone just as his pants were ripped from him by strong, long fingers that left long scratches on his hips. Shit, that was Shinji…and Shinji would worry if he didn't answer…he always texted him to make sure he got home okay. His mind was completely off the subject of his phone as he felt a bony finger wriggle its way into him. He gasped and arched.

"Don't prep him, Nnoi, he doesn't deserve it," he heard Tatsuki say between pants and moans.

Nnoitra looked back at her. "That's a little much, ain't it? I mean, he's a fuckin' virgin here…"

She looked up from where Ulquiorra was going down on her with a frenzy. "Do it, fuck…oh Ulk…there, harder! Fuck him, Nnoi, and I want to watch it. I want to see him scream."

Nnoitra hesitated. He looked down at his wide eyes at the prospect, but what could he do? He bit his lip and moved so he was parallel to the bar, in Tatsuki's view as she was pleasured by his green eyed boyfriend. She was watching every move. Only one thing to do.

"Well, I'm gonna fuck his mouth first, bitch, I don't like goin' in completely dry," he said, moving over his mouth and forcing his way in. When he did it though, he laid a hand on the kid's shoulder and patted it, hoping to convey that this wasn't how he wanted this to go.

Nnoitra was a bastard, and would fuck anything that had two legs at the drop of a hat, but he wasn't sadistic like this bitch. He had known she liked to do some messed up shit. But this… He stopped when he started gagging and moved down between his legs, lifting them and seating himself in one hard thrust. Better to get it over with faster, rather than slower. Either way, it was going to hurt him a lot. He really didn't expect the overwhelming tightness and groaned out in pleasure despite his misgivings. He couldn't say it was morality, he didn't have that at all. But something about this smacked of him being used. And Nnoitra didn't like being used.

However, with the writhing orangette under him. He was making Tatsuki smile with every pained scream and groan he made. Nnoitra sighed and continued. There was no pleasure to be had for the young man under him. He already felt the wetness seeping around his cock from the tearing, but he continued, knowing it was impossible to stop at this point, his lust taking over. He rode it to his release and dropped on top of him. He huffed into his ear as the kid sobbed.

"Fuck, sorry kid, really," he breathed as he sat up, turning to her.

"Now, fuck me, Nnoi. Ulquiorra, have your fun with him now," she said and Nnoi wanted to stop him, but before he could say anything, Tatsuki had yanked him on top of her, his already hardening arousal pressing into her soaking warmth.

He tried to ignore the choked cries from behind him as Ulquiorra sped his way to his own release. Finally, she was sated and she dressed, staring down at the boy on the floor. She then kicked him soundly in the ribs. Nnoi flinched as she continued, repeating the action until he screamed, and he heard a crack. She kneeled over him and then punched him across the face a couple times.

"See if you can strip anytime soon, when I come back, be gone. Don't care where the fuck you go. Get the fuck out of here. If I see you again, I'll kick your ass until you can't walk. Not that I'm sure you'll be able to walk anytime soon," she said and landed a solid punch on him that sent him into unconsciousness.

She stood up and looked at the others. "Let's go," she said.

Nnoitra looked back. "Shouldn't we, like untie him?"

She looked back. "No. If he's still here when I come back tomorrow, I'll let him go. Maybe."

With that she headed to the door. Nnoitra glanced at the phone discarded on the counter, flipping it open as the others got their things together. There were new texts from a contact named Shinji.

_Shinji: You home yet?_

_ Shinji: Ichigo? If you don't answer, I'm sending Grimmjow over._

_ Shinji: Grimmjow's on his way, I suggest you answer._

Nnoitra closed the phone nodding. At least he wouldn't be alone for long. Tatsuki looked at him, pulling her purse from the counter beside the phone. He shook his head and they were on their way again, locking the door behind them.

"Grimmjow?" Shinji's voice sounded off as the bluenette answered the phone.

"Yeah, what's up, Shin?" he asked, shifting his towel. He'd just got out of the shower.

"Yeah, any way you can go by and check on Ichigo?" Grimmjow could feel the tightness in his voice.

"Sure, what's up?" he asked, curious now.

"Well, since I found out about this situation, I text him when he gets back home after work. Just to make sure nothing's going on. And it's been an hour and I've heard nothing."

"Think he lost his phone or something?" Grimmjow asked, trying not to worry.

"I don't know, just can you go over there?"

"Yeah, gimme his address," he said, grabbing a pad and pencil. He scribbled it down and put away the phone. Surely there wasn't anything wrong. Right?

At least he thought that until he stood in front of the door, pounding on it and heard no response. He reached down and grabbed the knob tightly, and felt something slick. He picked up his hand in the dim hall lights and saw it was red. Blood? Fuck, he thought and rammed his shoulder into the door, splitting the lock and forcing his way in. The smell of blood and sex was thick in the room, and he heard labored breathing nearby.

He followed the sound around the large bar and dropped to his knees. "Ichigo!" he gasped, pulling out his phone, dialing his god father's number mechanically.

"Kisuke! I need your help, can you meet me at the clinic?" he gasped as soon as he picked up.

"Yes, ten minutes," he answered and the phone was off.

Grimmjow could tell he was in that stage between awake and unconscious. He ran to the nearest room and guessed it was his. He pulled off a blanket and ran back. He pulled his pocket knife out, slicing through the plastic ropes that held him to the footrail of the bar. Quickly, he wrapped the blanket around his body and was out the door like a shot, pulling it closed behind him. Down the elevator and out to his car, he put him into the back and then was off like a shot. He parked and headed into the building through the back entrance, his god father waiting at the door, eyes wide at the sight.

"Grimmjow, what happened to him, is that the kid from the other day?" he gasped.

"I don't know, I'm not sure…I mean, I think, god Kisuke, help him." Grimmjow was flustered as he lay the boy on the exam table and hurriedly pulled away the blanket.

He was still wearing the long button up shirt he'd had when he left the club, so Kisuke took a set of scissors and sliced the material expertly off him. Kisuke had been in the ER before he opend his own clinic and was well versed in this kind of thing. Grimmjow closed his eyes at the thick bruising already raising on his ribs and face. It didn't take a genius to see the thick hand shaped bruises on his hips and legs and what had caused the blood that coated his legs.

"Dammit, Kisuke, can you help him or should I call an ambulance?" he breahed.

Urahara put a hand on him. "I can help him, it looks bad, but mostly it's a lot of blood. Now, go get me…" he rattled off the things he needed, and set about cleaning and dressing the wounds. He definitely had one broken rip at least, and needed some serious pain medications for the next week or so until he recovered from that. His wrists were raw and weeping blood, so he bandaged them with some stuff to help it heal faster. Then he looked at Grimmjow.

"You don't have to be here for this part of the exam, Grimm, if you are uncomfortable…" he said, looking at him seriously.

Grimmjow shook his head, and moved to the head of the table, and held the unconscious body against him. He was really glad he was out, but he also wished he was awake. Urahara maneuved his body to his side and proceeded to finish checking for the injuries sustained in the attack.

He woke up then, eyes wide and started to shake. Grimmjow grasped his shoulders tightly. Of all the times for him to wake up. "Ichigo, it's okay, you're at the doctor's okay, it's over, Kisuke's checking to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong with you, okay?"

Ichigo had frozen and then looked up to Grimmjow's eyes and shivered, wincing at the pain even such a move caused him.

"Ichigo, I'm sorry, son but this is going to hurt a little bit, okay?" he Urahara said. "But I have to see how serious this is."

He felt Ichigo groan into his arm and he knew that it was definitely not an exaggeration on Urahara's part. Soon enough, the orange haired man's arms were gripping him tightly and he felt tears warm and wet against his arm. He wasn't sure if it was pain or embarrassment, but either one was sufficient cause in Grimmjow's mind. Finally, Urahara stood up and moved away, removing his gloves, which he flinched when he saw were bloody.

Urahara came up and pulled a stool beside him after covering him with a thin blanket.

"Ichigo, you've got some serious injuries, and you don't have to talk right now. I can tell pretty obviously what happened," he said softly. Ichigo nodded, new tears springing to his eyes. "I need to take some blood to make sure you haven't contracted anything, okay? Then I'm going to ask you to rest. Can you go home?"

Ichigo's eyes widened and he shook his head violently at the thought, heart racing at the mere mention. Grimmjow closed his eyes. "Ichigo, did you know the person that did this?" Urahara continued.

"N-not the men…" he whispered. "Ar..Arisawa made them…she-she watched them…"

Urahara nodded and left, and Grimmjow heard him on the phone in the next room. He came back quickly. "Ichigo, do you feel comfortable enough to stay with Grimmjow and Nel?"

He nodded slowly and Urahara smiled. "Good, that would be good. I already called Nel, she's fine with it of course. Grimmjow, here," he said passing a small folder. "Instructions on treating his injuries. Here are some medications and a bath soak he should use every night until the pain is gone. Make sure he takes the pain medication for the first day especially. The tearing isn't life threatening but it is painful, and he'll bleed some more, so keep an eye on it. You should leave before my nurses arrive and start asking questions."

Grimmjow nodded, and wrapped up his charge once more, sweeping him up and trying to avoid too much pressure on his ribs. He groaned but was soon asleep, thanks to a little sedative his god father had given him after he took the blood. Before long he was headed up his elevator, getting more than one curious look at the bundle he was carrying.

He opened his door and moved inside, depositing him on the couch and turned to find Nel sitting at the kitchen table with Stark and Lilly. He sighed, dropping the files his god father had given him. Stark picked up the top one and nodded, taking it and leaving with Lily. Nel picked up the other and looked it over.

"That serious, huh?" Nel said.

Grimmjow nodded. "Glad you didn't look at the file for Stark. Had all the pictures and stuff from when I took him in. Had he already been to the apartment?"

Nel nodded. "Yeah, no one there, but he got the evidence collection done, and Lilly picked some clothes and things for Ichigo."

"But will it help if he refuses to press charges?" he said softly.

"Stark's going to try to push it without a testimony from him. The evidence is pretty damn strong," she said.

"Sometimes I'm glad you have friends in all the right places, sis."


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Important: I do NOT abandon my fics. The reason is simple, I will not, can not leave them undone. I start fics for various reasons, mostly because some idea starts getting around in my head and I will focus on the new ones until the well runs dry. Now, nothing gets me going like PMs or reviews. There's something about hearing someone really, really wants a fic to continue that gives me the inspiration that I need. When I'm directly asked, I really do try to post a new chapter for another fic. I have no order, but my aim is to update each fic once a week at least. Still working on it. Anyways, thanks for reading and hope you enjoy!_

* * *

**Chapter Five**

The Vizard and the Espada

* * *

Grimmjow was a little worried when he didn't wake up by the next morning. He called his god father to make sure there wasn't something wrong, to be told that after the shock and trauma, he might sleep into the day, but to call him if he hadn't stirred by noon. Nel was hovering nonstop, checking for signs of distress or discomfort, but he was blissfully unconscious. Nel changed his dressings and his clothes the next evening and was a little distressed by the fact he was still bleeding some. Grimmjow assured her that Urahara had said that it would happen for a while. Stark had called to find out if he was awake enough to talk later that day.

Grimmjow was a few moments away from calling his god father when he heard a groan from the couch. He rushed over and kneeled down beside him to see if he was indeed waking up. He turned his head, his eyes still half lidded.

"Grimm?" he muttered. "Do…do you have some water?"

"Sure thing, gimme a sec, okay?" Grimmjow said, going to get a cup and a straw.

He returned and helped him fumble the straw into his mouth. "Oh god, I feel like a truck hit me," he muttered, laying his head back, wincing at the pain when he laid his cheek on the pillow.

Grimmjow nodded. "Yeah, you've got a broken rib, a fractured cheekbone, and bruises everywhere else. She really did a number on your face, bud," he said.

He swallowed hard. "She said I wouldn't be dancing anytime soon…"

"What? How the fuck did she find out about that?" he asked, blinking. Shit. Holy shit. This had happened because of what they'd convinced him to do? Oh god…

"Dunno…she…she called me…her slut stripper of a boyfriend…and then told…them to…" he squeezed his eyes shut. "I don't know, I don't know…but she found out, oh god she found out, I was so stupid…"

"No, no, if anyone's to blame, it's us…we shouldn't have taken you there to start with…we shouldn't have put you in danger like that…" he said, holding back his own rage and guilt at the situation. He might as well have been the one to do this to him.

Ichigo reached up and grabbed his hands. "No, don't do that, I went because I wanted to go. I danced because I wanted to dance. I wouldn't have done either if I didn't really want to do it, okay? I just should have known. She…she comes home high half the time, and I knew she ran with some people that weren't great, and I didn't think. Any one of them could have been in the club. I'm kinda unique when it comes to features, after all."

He groaned, shifting uncomfortably. Grimmjow was quick with a couple pills. "Here, Kisuke said to take these the first day or two. He said you'd be in a lot of pain…well, you know."

He took the pill gratefully. "Yeah, well, let's just say if that's what it feels like, I don't think I ever wanna do that again…"

Grimmjow smiled. "It's not supposed to hurt, idiot. They made it hurt."

"Oh how would you know," he muttered, drinking his water, a blush spreading across his cheeks.

"Haven't had any complaints yet, so I must be doing something right," he said with a sideways grin that made Ichigo blush even darker.

Grimmjow patted him quickly and went to the kitchen to grab something light for him to eat. There was a knock at the door and Nel answered it. He heard voices and then Shinji came skidding into the room, and saw the tuft of orange hair sticking over the arm of the couch, so he walked around carefully and gasped.

"Oh my god, Ichigo…" he said, sitting on the coffee table by him.

The pain meds had kicked in, and he looked up at the blond with lidded eyes. "Hey, Shinji. How are ya?"

Grimmjow sat down on the couch and helped Ichigo to a more sitting position and then helped him eat the soup he'd made. He was a little uncoordinated, so he just ended up feeding him instead. Shinji just stared at the mess that had been made out of his face. He glanced at Grimmjow who gave him a nod then nodded toward the table. Shinji stood and headed over, a little light headed at seeing his newest boy in such a state. Ichigo fell asleep in the middle of eating so Grimmjow sat the bowl down and headed to talk to Shinji.

"What the hell happened?" Shinji asked, brow furrowed. "Nel just said that he'd been injured and couldn't work for a few days. I had no idea…"

"His girlfriend worked him over," Grimmjow said softly. "Apparently, someone told her about his new occupation, and she decided to teach him a lesson."

Shinji's eyes narrowed to dangerous slits. "Someone in _my_ club ratted on one of _my _boys?"

"It gets worse."

"How the fuck could it be worse than her beating his face in like that?" he asked, leaning back. "What kind of injuries did he get?"

"Fractured cheekbone and a broken rib, from what she did," he said with a sigh. "But…Shinji…she wasn't alone. She had guys with her. And…" Grimmjow gritted his teeth. "She had the fuckin' guts to sit there and watched as they both had a go at him, Shinji. Her fuckin' boyfriend, and she had them fuckin' rape him right in front of her."

Shinji blinked. He was having trouble comprehending what he was hearing. "Who?"

"I don't know, he hasn't even described…" Shinji was up and shaking Ichigo by the shoulder.

He looked up sleepy at Shinji and grinned. "Hum, I like whatever Grimmy gave me…"

"Ichigo, what did the guys look like?" he said, seriously.

Luckily, Ichigo was completely out of it on the vicodin he'd been given. He never reacted well to pain meds. "Um…one was short, the other really, really tall… Um…green eyes, 'member that. Oh…and that tall bastard had an eyepatch er a bandana or sumthin'…"

Shinji stood up slowly. He turned and strode over to the table. "Come to the club tonight, Grimmjow. Bring anyone you want. I won't need any help. But you can come if you want. I know the fuckers goddamned well. They're in the club almost every night, and I'll be they're there tonight. And if they are the ones who did this…I might just kill them both."

-Icy Bonds-

Nel remained with Ichigo, helping to ice his face which had turned a nice shade of purple, as well as his ribs. Grimmjow headed to the club. He'd put in a call to a couple friends on the way to meet him there, a hot headed red head named Renji and his lover Byakuya. Grimmjow would never understand those two. Byakuya was stoic and nearly emotionless, while Renji was frantic and excitable and all over the place. But both of them were deadly when they wanted to be. Byakuya and Renji had been to the club many times, Renji even danced on occasion when he was dead drunk.

Renji and Byakuya were waiting at the entrance, Renji eying Grimmjow with a curious look. "Hey, man this better be good, what's goin' on? We had plans…"

"Get in here to Shin's office," he growled and led them past the bouncers into the club. The night was early, so there weren't many people yet, and the show hadn't started.

Shinji was sitting at desk, his whole body tense as he watched the security camera at the door intently. "Hello," he said, his eyes not moving as he sipped his coffee.

Grimmjow flopped on the couch, followed in suit by the two other men. Renji glanced at Grimmjow again. "Okay, the fuck is goin' on?"

"I'm fuckin' gonna kill Nnoitra and Ulquiorra, that's what," Shinji said matter of factly.

Renji and Byakuya exchanged a glance. "Um, that might not be a good idea, you know they're workin' for Aizen now…they're his main drug dealers. I thought you had them sorted, did you catch 'em dealin' in here again?" Renji asked, wrapping a hand around his older boyfriend's hand nervously.

Shinji didn't move, only stared at the monitor. "They messed with one of my boys."

Renji swallowed, and felt Byakuya's hand tense. That was serious. No one messed with Shinji's boys. No one. Even Aizen himself wouldn't incur the wrath of the man before them. He was bubbly, flirtatious, and brilliantly gay, until you messed with something precious to him. Then this dark, nearly savage part of him surfaced. It was like he was accessing some inner demon or something. And it was scary as fuck to see in action.

"Grimmjow, what happened?" Renji said, turning his glance to him.

"Nel and I helped out this kid, well, he isn't really a kid, he's almost twenty one, but Shinji hired him to work the office and dance when he felt like it. He was in an abusive relationship, and we were helping him get out of it. His girl found out, and we think she sicced Nnoitra and Ulquiorra on him," he said softly.

Byakuya's deep voice resounded. "They should know better than to cause any problems with your boys, Shinji. What would possess them to do such a thing? It would also incur my wrath and tip the scales between us precariously in my direction."

Byakuya was successful, in fact, hugely successful. He was the head of a multi-million dollar company, and his closest rival was Sosuke Aizen. The difference was everyone knew that Aizen was dirty and dealt under the table, headed by his Espada organization, but no one could pin anything on him. Byakuya, on the other hand, was completely clean and ran the Seireitei company with little trouble. Meanwhile, Aizen's company, Hueco Mundo, was only held together by his illegal influxes of cash. It was one of those things that everyone knew, but no one acknowledged.

Suddenly, though, Shinji was on his feet and moving. Grimmjow and the other two were hot on his heels as he strode with purpose out through the floor. There was no sashey in his step, no playful smile on his lips, no light in his eyes. No, this was a different man than the man that danced with glee for his audience. This was the avenger Shinji, the one no one wanted to see in action. Everyone moved away, glancing at the hard line of his jaw and set form of his lips. Grimmjow hadn't called Renji and Byakuya to help Shinji. No, he'd called them to make sure Shinji didn't kill the two men. They were here to restrain him if necessary.

He stopped at a round table in the back where two men sat chatting and waiting for the show to start. They both looked up at the blond who was staring at them intently. Grimmjow moved to one side of Shinji, Renji to the left. Byakuya stayed back a bit and stared.

"Shin, fuck man, what's wit dat face?" tall and lanky one said with a grin. "We ain't been sellin' in here, man, promise!"

"Nnoitra. You fucked with the wrong person."

Nnoitra looked at Ulquiorra as his grin faded. He glanced up at him again. "Whatcha meanin', Shin? We ain't done nothing…"

He didn't finish, because before he could move, Shinji had flipped over the table, grabbing the man by the shoulders and used his momentum to slam the chair and him into it onto the floor with a loud crash. Nnoitra's one eye was wide and staring.

"You 'ain't done nothing'? You fuckin' raped one of my boys. What do you think that means for your pathetic, sorry asses?" Shinji's face had taken on a hard line again. Nnoitra was not going anywhere, both shoulders pinned under the smaller man's knees and in an awkward position to get his long limbs into any sort of leverage.

Ulquiorra had stood up, his normally impassive face showing vague distress. "Shinji, we were unaware that he was one of your boys."

Shinji turned his head to the shorter man. "Was he on my fuckin' stage?"

Nnoitra swallowed hard. "Yeah, but that didn't mean…"

_Crack._ The sick crack and pop of the lanky man's jaw resounded throughout the club. Considering that Shinji could break bricks with that same hand, it was no wonder the man's jaw snapped. It took a moment for realization that Shinji had moved and that his jaw was lit on fire to hit him. He yelped and finally dislodged himself, standing up and cradling his mouth, blood dripping down his jaw into his hands.

Ulquiorra watched as Shinji stood up slowly from his position on the floor, his eyes locking with the green ones. Once more, he was too fast for most those in the club to watch as he shot out, arms and legs smoothly moving to take the smaller man and flip him, turning him and slamming him down and _through_ the oak table. There was a strangled cry from the man, surprising everyone in the room. Ulquiorra stood slowly, staggering backward, blood gushing from the back of his head, and a couple other places where wood had splintered and cracked into his flesh.

"You know the rules. You. Don't. Touch. My. Boys. You don't sell drugs to them. You don't pimp them. You don't fucking touch them. I thought the rules were clear when you were let in here again? I thought when I broke your fuckin' leg for selling dope in here, you got the message. I seem to have been mistaken," he said, glaring at Nnoitra who was still cupping his jaw which was rapidly turning purple.

Nnoitra tried to utter a muffled reply but winced at the pain shooting through his face. Ulquiorra stepped back. "Shinji, we really didn't know, and that bitch is something else."

Shinji cocked his head to the side, as though deciding if he was going to spring. He looked like a wound too tight rubber band about ready to snap, taking someone's head off in the process. It wasn't that he looked angry. In fact, it was the lack of expression on his normally expressive face that made him more intimidating than any other look ever could.

"Tell me. Or I go to Aizen myself."

There was a second when the two men exchanged looks. Both knew what that meant. There was an uneasy truce between Shinji and his side and Aizen and his. Shinji had Byakuya. Shinji also had more than one cop in his pocket. Shinji had more sway than Aizen ever wanted to admit. He'd found out the hard way when he tried to get the club away from him a year previously. It had ended badly, Aizen's company losing more money than they wanted in the effort to cheat the man out of his business. Shinji was also the leader of a small, but powerful people, which was perhaps the only group Aizen feared in the city. The Vizard were nothing to trifle with. They worked below the law but within the law as well. And when it came down to it, Aizen really wasn't sure who would win in an all-out war with the group. Unlike the Espada, who were a bunch of loosely aligned people with similar desires, white the Vizard were a family that had started out protecting each other. Rarely did they take new members, and they stood up for each other.

"She's just a slut but she has something on Aizen. Something she's blackmailing him with, and when she came to us for drugs, we traded favors for her fixes. I saw the boy the other night and we had mentioned seeing an orange haired on stage. She came with us last night. He danced and she had us wait for him. Aizen didn't know what she had in mind. He only said to do whatever she needed done. We did," Ulquiorra said quickly, keeping one eye on Shinji and glancing to see if anyone else was coming out. Not that Shinji needed help from his members.

Grimmjow stood ready to spring because the intent on the blonde's face was quite clear. Shinji's voice was very quiet though when he next spoke.

"Get out. Now. Before you leave with less limbs than you came in with. And watch your back. Watch it very carefully," he practically whispered the last, and the two didn't need any more direction, they split within a minute.

Grimmjow rested his hands on Shinji's shoulders as he let out a shaky sigh. "I was tempted to bash their skulls in," he said softly. "But if I did that, who would be there to help Ichigo pick up the pieces?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Icy Bonds**

**Chapter Six**

_The Long Road Ahead_

_ Ichigo was where he didn't want to be. He saw her face, grinning at him, those words he'd heard so often spilling over his ears like the poison she knew they were…_

_ "Worthless brat, you can't do anything right. How did you survive before I came along? You're useless in so many ways…you can't even fuck right, you know that? I have dildos better than you. Useless, worthless…"_

_ Then there were faces the two men, again and again, floating up into his face and again she was laughing and he was screaming for his life, and sobbing into someone's chest…_

"Ichigo, wake up!"

He gasped and realized he was being smothered by a huge pair of breasts. He looked up into kind eyes fringed by green hair and buried his face into her ample chest. It felt warm, and safe, something he hadn't felt since he was a child, and he sobbed into her again. She didn't pull away, only held him as tightly as she dared because of the ribs. He was quickly realizing that he didn't see women as sexual at all, even before this. Every time he lay with Tatsuki, his mind was elsewhere, and then he'd be berated for not paying attention because she wanted a _man_ in bed. Was he less of one because he didn't want to sleep with her? He tried desperately to use it, to enjoy her submission to him, as he controlled her in the bed, but it just wasn't right. Not at all. Even though she submitted, she never really did.

"I'm…sorry…" he finally gasped, his own arms gripping her hard enough to make his ribs ache and his face burn.

Nel ran hands through his hair. "its okay, Ichi, it's okay. You can cry into my boobs anytime you want to," she said gently.

"Hey, what's goin' on here…" a familiar voice said, and Ichigo looked up from the soft protection of Nel's chest to see Grimmjow frowning.

"Don't get jealous, Grimmy, you know which way we both swing," she said lightly, pushing Ichigo away so he didn't hurt his ribs anymore. He groaned as he sat upright, his feet dropping to the floor.

Grimmjow dropped beside him, and he felt himself tipping into his body to relieve the pressure from his backside which still hurt when he sat upright like that. "Ow," he muttered.

"Ichigo, I've got some stuff that Kisuke gave me, if you'll let me put it on you…" he said softly.

Ichigo looked up with wide eyes. "What kind of stuff?"

Grimmjow tried not to grin at the boy's look. "For the inside stuff, you know, to heal it up quicker."

He felt the tremble. "I…don't know…" he said, nervously. He'd known they'd helped him, but it was still a lot for him to let someone do that. "Maybe I could do it?"

Grimmjow shook his head. "Kisuke said that it would be better if someone else did, and suggested I ask, since you know me a little better."

"Okay, because it really hurts when I move," he said finally, sighing deeply. His face was already turning red.

"You want me to stay here?" Nel asked, gently. He shook his head and she headed to the kitchen.

"Is it going to hurt like before?" he asked, laying down on his side as he'd done when Urahara had done the exam initially.

Grimmjow shook his head, putting a hand on his hip. "No, not at all, if I can help it."

He closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to even be conscious for having someone touch him again. He felt his clothes being pulled away and he stiffened even worse, and felt Grimmjow muttering gently and rubbing his back. Apparently he'd kneeled beside the couch and was trying very hard to get him to relax. Finally, the tension seemed to drain from him and Grimmjow smiled, seeing that he was desperately trying to do as he was asked.

He took the small jar, a combination of an antibiotic and a numbing gel, and ran his fingers through it, feeling the numbing agent on contact. It didn't completely numb his fingers, but it would numb the painful areas sufficiently. Urahara had told him to make sure it made it to the tears and where they were, and he knew Ichigo was going to struggle with this, but he'd rather see him not be in pain.

"Okay, I'm going to push in, now, okay?" He felt the body under his other hand tense but a muttered reply. He was gentle, and he knew the numbing agent would help, and he worked slowly, though he knew Ichigo would prefer it to be over quicker. He found the places he needed to and had to replace the salve a couple times, feeling the tension each time he did it, but when he was done, there was little left in him. He capped the jar and set it aside, and replaced his clothes carefully, then sat beside his legs.

"You okay, there?" he asked.

"Okay," he said softly, but Grimmjow heard the tension in the voice.

"Hey, come on, sit up here," he said, and helped him sit beside him, pulling him slightly to the side. "That has to feel a little better," he said looking down at the brown eyes that were clouded.

He nodded, burying his head into the hollow of his shoulder suddenly, and he felt wetness. He wrapped the arm around his shoulders and let him release it into him as he rubbed his back in gentle circles again.

"I don't understand," he said finally, voice muffled by Grimmjow's shirt. "I gave her everything, even when I never felt anything for her, so how could she do something so terrible… I wanted acceptance, and her to love me, and that was all I ever really wanted."

"Why did you stay if you didn't feel anything for her, Ichi?" he asked, his voice much softer than Ichigo had thought it could ever be.

He nearly sobbed again. "No one would have me but her, right? That's what she told me, I was a crybaby, disgrace, and then when I hurt myself, I couldn't defend her or anyone else, right?"

"Not right, Ichigo, not right at all. She was wrong. You lost your mom, you were supposed to cry," he said softly. "And you're strong, and beautiful, and there is no reason others wouldn't want to be with you and show you real love."

The doorbell rang, and he heard Nel's voice, but couldn't tell the other until he heard it next to him.

"Son?"

He looked up, eyes wide to see his father standing next to Grimmjow. He swallowed and tried to push away from Grimmjow, sure his dad would say something about him snuggled into the warmth of another man, but Grimmjow's hand remained tightly around his shoulders, not allowing him to go anywhere.

"Pop…I…how did you know where I was?" he said, eyes blinking.

"Kisuke Urahara called me. We know each other pretty well," he said, sitting in the chair next to them. "He showed me the files, Ichigo."

Ichigo dropped his head, feeling his face flush. He remembered the last time his father had talked to him, almost a year ago after he'd broken his collar bone and had been in the hospital. "I'm sorry," he said softly, then felt the couch beside him dip and realized his dad had come to sit beside him.

"Son, why didn't you tell me what was going on?" he said softly. "I've tried so hard to get you to talk to me, and now it takes something like this to get you away from her?"

Ichigo couldn't remove himself from Grimmjow, his heart was beating way too fast. "I'm sorry," he whispered again. "I've made you worry, and I don't…"

"Ichigo, please, your dad doesn't want to hear you apologize," Grimmjow said, rubbing his back. "Your dad knows everything that happened, I told him already."

Ichigo looked up at him with wide eyes. "Everything?"

"Yes, everything, son. And it's okay. I would rather see you with anyone besides that awful girl, male or female. It doesn't bother me that you prefer men, there's nothing wrong with that at all, son. And nothing wrong with expressing yourself to dance if that's something you like, and you're safe when you're doing it," his dad said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Ichigo's eyes brimmed with tears, and now Grimmjow did let him go as he dove into his father's arms. Isshin looked over the bowed orange head and smiled at Grimmjow who nodded in return. Grimmjow had called him the day before from Ichigo's phone, surprising the doctor to even see his son's number across it. The call had lasted three hours. By the end, Isshin had heard about how Grimmjow found him, and then how he'd been attacked. He'd then called his old friend Urahara who he met down at the urgent clinic, and went over the medical records with him. He wasn't very surprised at the fact he'd been abused but to think she'd taken the step to find two men to actually rape him as punishment for trying to live his life for himself sickened him.

The talk with Urahara had taken a different road, though, when they got into where he'd been dancing, and it was revealed it was Hiraku Shinji's club, leader of the Vizards. This alone made Isshin much more confident. He knew them very well, in fact, had patched them up on multiple occasions, and when he found out that Tatsuki was working with Aizen's Espada, he knew that Ichigo wouldn't be in more capable hands. The Vizards were a family, not a gang. They would give anything to protect one of their own. In the circles of the underground it was muttered that they only accepted those into their group that carried the spark of some sort of inner demon. Of course, that was impossible; there were no such things as demons.

Now he sat holding a sobbing child. He may have been twenty, but right now he was a child to his father. He saw the way the blue haired man next to him looked at him, and Isshin knew that there was something more to that look than that of someone who simply saved a lost child. Isshin saw the softening when he looked at him, something he'd never seen with Tatsuki. And Ichigo was letting him hold onto him, so that was something. He hoped it wasn't just savior related, but he doubted his son would fall into that category.

So they sat, for it seemed like hours, the father, the son, and the blue haired savior, and let him cry and sob all the pain that had filled his soul since he was a child. All those things that had happened that he knew were wrong, that he realized he couldn't change, it all came flooding into him and crashing down like a tidal wave.

When he was done, he looked up to see that Nel was sitting in the chair now, and Shinji was sitting on the arm beside her, watching him. His eyes were painful from the tears and he knew he looked awful between his now red eyes and the purple bruising all over his face. He stared at Nel and Shinji.

Shinji smiled. "I sent them a message," he said. "Nnoitra left with a broken jaw, and I may have given Ulquiorra a concussion. I feel it was fitting."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Won't you get in trouble?" he muttered thickly, his voice not entirely up to talking just yet.

"Fuck no, I already broken Nnoitra's leg once before for selling drugs in my club," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

"But…if she's…what could she be doing…I just don't know…she did drugs, I know, but to be tangled up with a guy…" Ichigo said, his eyes still leaking tears no matter how he tried to stem the flood.

Shinji shook his head. "I dunno what she's got on Aizen, but it was enough he assigned those two fucks to keep her happy. That's the only reason I didn't kill them. But I doubt they'll be at the club again. Ichigo, I need you to consider staying there with us. Grimmjow is welcome, too, of course."

"Us?" he asked, confused.

"Ichi, Shinji here is the leader of a group of sorts. They live below the club and keep each other safe," Nel said softly.

"A gang?" he said, surprised.

Shinji sorted. "I wouldn't call the Vizard a gang so much as a family. We protect each other and we kick the shit out of anyone else that comes along and tries to hurt our own. I think you'd be safer there with all of us."

Ichigo looked to his dad, surprised to see him smiling. "I agree, son. Shinji and his folks are good people, they'll keep you safe, no matter what."

He couldn't believe this. "You know them, pop?" he asked quietly.

Isshin glanced at Shinji and back to his son. "It's a long story for another day, for now, let's get you to their base and settled into a room, okay?"

Grimmjow helped him along, and to his surprise, found they'd gotten all of his clothes from his apartment and a lot of other stuff. He'd have to ask about that later. Then he looked up to see his father handing him a stuffed lion. He took it and looked up at his dad. "Kon?" he asked and his dad smiled.

"I thought he might help you feel better, he always did before," he said softly, and Ichigo clutched the small lion against him. It was the last toy his mother had given him.

Ichigo was surprised as he was led down a staircase that had been completely hidden behind a bookcase. It led down into a large living area, and he heard voices and soon enough a couple of girls entered the room, looking up at him. One was short with blonde pigtails, the other taller with black pigtails and both wore jeans and t-shirts, and were staring at him.

"Hey, Lisa, Hiyori, this is my new boy upstairs, Ichigo, and his friend Grimmjow, they're staying here a bit," Shinji said, moving in front of them.

Hiyori arched a brow. "The fuck happened to you, dude?" she asked, Ichigo swallowed, and glanced at Shinji.

"Hiyori, let's leave that be for a bit, for now, let's just let them get settled, then I'll introduce him to everyone else, okay?" Shinji said, uttering a deep sigh at the blonde.

They were shown to a nice sized room with a large bed. Ichigo was wringing his hands a bit. "Ichi, honey, I only have one spare, but if you want, I can get a sleeping bag for Grimmjow," Shinji offered, noticeing his distress.

"Oh I don't have to stay, Ichi," he said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Ichigo shook his head. "No, I want you to stay, this is fine, I won't be a bother about this at all, maybe he can help keep the nightmares away," he said softly before sitting tentatively on the bed.

"You hurting, again?" Grimmjow said, looking at him. Ichigo started to say no but he saw that lying wasn't going to help. He slowly nodded.

Shinji nodded, leaving and shutting the door behind him, making sure to turn the lock as he left. He knew that Grimmjow was helping him with the pains, and figured the last thing they needed was someone to barge in while he was taking care of the orange haired man. After a while they both emerged to find the rest of their group waiting for them in the living room.


End file.
